EVERY Republican in America rejoiced last night: "At long last the Couric captivity is over! Sarah Palin is free!"

Palin had suffered through a series of nightly interview bits with CBS anchor Katie Couric that seemed to last a month, with the Alaska governor shedding credibility by the minute. But last night, they instantly became a distant memory.
Palin held her own against Joe Biden, and flashed the poise and charm that made her such a star at the Republican convention.

Hers might have been the most unusual debate performance since Ross Perot's running-mate James Stockdale showed up at the 1992 VP contest. From the moment she opened by saying the best measure of the economy is what parents are saying on the sidelines of soccer games, it was clear how utterly different she is in American politics - a candidate of, by and from the middle class.

She talked about regular middle-class people with the credibility of having lived that life every day, even for a time lacking health insurance. Or, as she put it at the end, she and John McCain will "fight for the middle-class, average family - like mine."

Biden was fine and controlled his notorious gassiness, but they were two candidates playing on different levels.

She dropped her G's ("puttin' government back on the side of the people") and said "darn" and "doggonit" in a folksy, familiar style; he referred to himself in the third person in the self-important senatorial style.

She kept it general, direct and common-sensical; he loaded his answers with detail. She exuded a sincerity that pulsed through the screen; he seemed like a typical senator.

Last night, Palin plainly had two ingredients that were missing from her network TV interviews, and they made all the difference:

* She was more familiar with the substance. If she'd been as well-briefed and comfortable with the material before those interviews, the McCain campaign could have spared itself weeks of bad publicity.

* She'd learned to sidestep questions she found awkward and steer the discussion onto better ground for her (usually energy policy).

Put those together with her off-the-charts likeability, and you could see why she was a political force that so confounded the opposition in Alaska.

Yes, there were obvious weak points in her knowledge. She didn't defend McCain effectively on deregulation, didn't rebut Biden's detailed critique of McCain's health-care plan and seemed at sea in answering a question about nuclear policy.

But she also laid good clean hits on Biden. And he couldn't respond to some of them - for instance, his own criticism (during the pri- maries) of Obama as not ready to be president.

Plus, he was the one who made the more obvious factual errors, falsely denying that Obama had pledged to meet without pre-condition with Iranian President Ahmadinejad and claiming that McCain had voted the same way as Obama on a budget resolution repealing the Bush tax cuts.

In the runup to the debate, Biden stressed how often he'd debated women. Sure - but not a woman like Sarah Palin.

At times, Biden seemed almost to be laughing at her, smiling broadly during her answers. At others, she seemed to get under his skin and he talked fast and heatedly in his responses.

One wonders if he ever realized that, even with 35 years in the Senate and all his expertise and fluidity in policy, he wasn't beating the hockey mom from Wasilla.

Palin's syntax is odd, and she has noticeable verbal tics, saying "here," "there" and "also" too much. Occasionally, she gets lost in a blizzard of her own words. But the quirkiness makes her more vivid, setting her apart from the rest of the political establishment.

By the end, as she got even more comfortable, she seemed to become more winsome by the minute - her smile sparkling as she even threw off the occasional wink. She jabbed Biden with a good-natured, "There you go again, Joe." And Biden himself seemed genuinely charmed.

Palin's heart is in the right place. Does EVERYONE who runs for pres or VP have to be a lawyer? Are LAWYERS really what america is about? Couric is an idiot who asked Palin gotcha questions. As I said before, let me quiz Obama on economics, history, and the military - he'd flunk for sure. Why the devil has McCain subjected himself and his runnig mate to these banks of lib media Obamabots - why wasn't Fox News chosen to hold a debate? REAL questions and issues would have been dealt with, instead of it all being a setup to make the Bot ticket look good. A president and VP should be people who have an overall view and direction of which way we should be going - not someone who knows who the president of bulgaria is.

I like her too, she is down to earth. Honestly though, I really like Joe Biden also. I probably would not agree with him much politically but personally I just really like him and I like him more and more each time I see him. But I feel the same way about Sarah Palin. She is more of what I wish politicians were too.

I hate to be the dissenter when it comes to the OP but is not the NY Post owned by Rupert Murdoch? Considering I'm challenged on my sources fairly regularly, I think it's only fair if I returned the favor. Point of fact, that commentary would have only been real news had it found fault with Palin's performance.

I hate to be the dissenter when it comes to the OP but is not the NY Post owned by Rupert Murdoch? Considering I'm challenged on my sources fairly regularly, I think it's only fair if I returned the favor. Point of fact, that commentary would have only been real news had it found fault with Palin's performance.

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all the libs in the media can say anything they want but it does not stop people from liking her.

Today we drove the longest way possible to my daughters soccer game just so I can count signs and bumper stickers. A bunch of McCain Palin signs went up just today. There were officially double the signs for them over Obama on my drive. Bumber stickers Obama won but only by 2

Last week I saw only one Palin mccain sign. So the media can say she is stupid or dumb or what ever and people are still liking her

I hate to be the dissenter when it comes to the OP but is not the NY Post owned by Rupert Murdoch? Considering I'm challenged on my sources fairly regularly, I think it's only fair if I returned the favor. Point of fact, that commentary would have only been real news had it found fault with Palin's performance.

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Typical liberal double-speak. If you can't find something wrong with the message, attack the messenger. If you don't like the OP, attack the paper that publishes it. Oh, and since you're too dense to have figured out what the facts are, Rich Lowry isn't an employee of the Post, so attacking the Post for publishing it is just as intellectually bankrupt as most of what you write.

She's real. When she speaks, it's sincere and you can sense the promise behind her words.

She's not a politician, at least in the normal sense.

She obviously has weaknesses in depth of certain issues, but is extremely strong in area's that she knows.

Like Every person, she's not perfect.. and if the U.S. had more politicians with her sincerity and base common sense, I think we'd be better off.

I want to add, I sense sincerity from Joe Biden as well and he to is very likeable. I think it's pretty much impossible to hate either one of these individuals.

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She is real..? realy cuz all I see is someone who can memorize her talking points. She does not to me , seem real at all, but just about as fake as she can be. With her hamming it up to camera, winking , and basicly to me seeming compleatly unprofessional for the position she is hoping to take. She has shown no understanding of any issues to me, and I dont mean that I disagree such as McCain on some issues, I mean does she even know what is going on at all? McCain is a smart guy, I belive wrong on the issues, but a smart guy. But I have no idea how he looked at her and said VP ready.

Typical liberal double-speak. If you can't find something wrong with the message, attack the messenger. If you don't like the OP, attack the paper that publishes it. Oh, and since you're too dense to have figured out what the facts are, Rich Lowry isn't an employee of the Post, so attacking the Post for publishing it is just as intellectually bankrupt as most of what you write.

You're really sad.

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Go read 95% of Libs comments anytime anything he does not like is posted by a source not named Fox News.. then you will know what he was talking about.

She is real..? realy cuz all I see is someone who can memorize her talking points. She does not to me , seem real at all, but just about as fake as she can be. With her hamming it up to camera, winking , and basicly to me seeming compleatly unprofessional for the position she is hoping to take. She has shown no understanding of any issues to me

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You support OBAMA and make such statements about PALIN?

Obama is all talking points, gaffs and flip-flops!

Iran is a tiny nation and doesn't pose a serious threat... I have always said Iran is a grave threat.

all the libs in the media can say anything they want but it does not stop people from liking her.

Today we drove the longest way possible to my daughters soccer game just so I can count signs and bumper stickers. A bunch of McCain Palin signs went up just today. There were officially double the signs for them over Obama on my drive. Bumber stickers Obama won but only by 2

Last week I saw only one Palin mccain sign. So the media can say she is stupid or dumb or what ever and people are still liking her

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Anecdotal evidence cannot be counted on to give a true picture of a candidate's support in any particular area or state. I don't know why you continue to bring up the amount of yard signs, perhaps it's because the polls in Oregon show Obama winning the state handily and you need something to hang your hat on.

The two most recent polls in your state show Obama leading by 11% and 14% with the current RCP average showing Obama up by 9%. Taking into account Oregon's history plus the aforementioned polls, there is absolutely no reason to think McCain even has a chance in Oregon.

Oh, yesterday Rasmussen released a poll of Washington giving Obama a 10% lead here (53%-43%). As our two states have fallen into a pattern of voting alike on the presidential level, it's just more evidence that the NW will continue it's fine progressive tradition come next month.

Anecdotal evidence cannot be counted on to give a true picture of a candidate's support in any particular area or state. I don't know why you continue to bring up the amount of yard signs, perhaps it's because the polls in Oregon show Obama winning the state handily and you need something to hang your hat on.

The two most recent polls in your state show Obama leading by 11% and 14% with the current RCP average showing Obama up by 9%. Taking into account Oregon's history plus the aforementioned polls, there is absolutely no reason to think McCain even has a chance in Oregon.

Oh, yesterday Rasmussen released a poll of Washington giving Obama a 10% lead here (53%-43%). As our two states have fallen into a pattern of voting alike on the presidential level, it's just more evidence that the NW will continue it's fine progressive tradition come next month.

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Popeye, I am not saying that obama does not have supporters in Oregon, he has a lot of them. I am I guess trying to say that they are not as enthusiastic about him as they were Kerry/Edwards 4 years ago.

4 Years ago when asking people around me about who they are voting for, so many more said Kerry/Edwards than say obama today. I did not know one democrat last time that said they were voting republican. This time I can think of dozens of life long dems who are not voting democrat this time.

Obama is doing better in Oregon and Washington polls today than Kerry was 4 years ago but the strong support for him does not seem equal to it.

Iran is a tiny nation and doesn't pose a serious threat... I have always said Iran is a grave threat.

The king of pander has the wool over your eyes.

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yes I do, becuse he stands with me on the issues, and McCain failed to show me he would do anything to make this nation better and worth voting for. And Gaffs? You have a good brain that shuts out the many many many McCain ones I see.

Palin is a Joke, a sad one. I have never seen someone in a debate look more cluess. Bush debates 100 times better, and I hate him.

She is real..? realy cuz all I see is someone who can memorize her talking points. She does not to me , seem real at all, but just about as fake as she can be. With her hamming it up to camera, winking , and basicly to me seeming compleatly unprofessional for the position she is hoping to take. She has shown no understanding of any issues to me, and I dont mean that I disagree such as McCain on some issues, I mean does she even know what is going on at all? McCain is a smart guy, I belive wrong on the issues, but a smart guy. But I have no idea how he looked at her and said VP ready.

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Come on pocket, lol.. your posts now are really getting tired. Palin is real, she is believable and she doesn't talk down to her audience. I personally feel her grasp of Energy issue's exceeds those of Mccain, Biden and Obama. I'd agree she doesn't have as broad of knowledge of general issues as either of the other candidates, but she's far from the idiot you and other liberals try to label her as. This woman has accomplished alot and is in her early 40's, while maintaining a family. You can criticize her all you like, but the more you overexaggerate the more people will tune you out. She's ran a business, been a mayor, governor and been successful at all of the above. No matter how much you rant, you can't change that. Regarding your comments regarding her style, that's what I like about her the most and I suspect most others do as well. It's this type of seething hate that really turns people off. There's no way or at least no reason for you to be so venomous towards the woman lol.